diff --git a/src/lxc/bdev.h b/src/lxc/bdev.h
index cc0359250..d69efd8a7 100644
--- a/src/lxc/bdev.h
+++ b/src/lxc/bdev.h
@@ -54,4 +54,30 @@ struct bdev *bdev_copy(const char *src, const char *oldname, const char *cname,
 			const char *oldpath, const char *lxcpath, const char *bdevtype,
 			int snap, const char *bdevdata, unsigned long newsize);
 void bdev_put(struct bdev *bdev);
+
+/* define constants if the kernel/glibc headers don't define them */
+#ifndef MS_DIRSYNC
+#define MS_DIRSYNC  128
+#endif
+
+#ifndef MS_REC
+#define MS_REC 16384
+#endif
+
+#ifndef MNT_DETACH
+#define MNT_DETACH 2
+#endif
+
+#ifndef MS_SLAVE
+#define MS_SLAVE (1<<19)
+#endif
+
+#ifndef MS_RELATIME
+#define MS_RELATIME (1 << 21)
+#endif
+
+#ifndef MS_STRICTATIME
+#define MS_STRICTATIME (1 << 24)
+#endif
+
 #endif
diff --git a/src/lxc/conf.c b/src/lxc/conf.c
index a38015df9..a1aee141f 100644
--- a/src/lxc/conf.c
+++ b/src/lxc/conf.c
@@ -93,30 +93,6 @@ lxc_log_define(lxc_conf, lxc);
 #define MAXMTULEN   16
 #define MAXLINELEN  128
 
-#ifndef MS_DIRSYNC
-#define MS_DIRSYNC  128
-#endif
-
-#ifndef MS_REC
-#define MS_REC 16384
-#endif
-
-#ifndef MNT_DETACH
-#define MNT_DETACH 2
-#endif
-
-#ifndef MS_SLAVE
-#define MS_SLAVE (1<<19)
-#endif
-
-#ifndef MS_RELATIME
-#define MS_RELATIME (1 << 21)
-#endif
-
-#ifndef MS_STRICTATIME
-#define MS_STRICTATIME (1 << 24)
-#endif
-
 #if HAVE_SYS_CAPABILITY_H
 #ifndef CAP_SETFCAP
 #define CAP_SETFCAP 31